Technology | Media | Telecommunications

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

How Wearable Technology Transforms In-Store Retail

The global retail sector has been greatly impacted by the shift to online eCommerce. That being said, remarkable in-store innovation continues to transform the retailer employee and customer experiences.

Retailers are beginning to use wearable technology to improve processes and customer satisfaction. Retailer wearables provide in-store employees with access to information such as stock levels, as well as to facilitate communication with team members.

This allows shopper requests to be resolved faster and ensures that the employee continues to interact with the customer, improving the overall shopping experience.

Retail Wearables Market Development

ABI Research forecasts enterprise retail wearable shipments will reach nearly 10 million in 2022, increasing from just 2 million in 2017 -- that's a CAGR of 38 percent.

This makes retail one of the fastest growing enterprise wearable verticals, with numerous devices improving store operations. Devices such as smartwatches, smart glasses, wearable cameras, wearable scanners, and hearables are all seeing an increase in adoption within the retail market.

"As online retailers are gaining in strength, the remaining physical stores are searching for ways to encourage customers to return and shop with them," said Stephanie Lawrence, research analyst at ABI Research.

Many different wearable devices are ensuring that customer requests are dealt with more quickly and more efficiently. Smartwatches provide workers with access to notifications about what work they should be completing, as well as information about product and stock.

Having this information in a quick and easy to access form allows a worker to rapidly resolve a customer’s query -- such as if an item is in stock and where it is located -- without having to leave the customers side and physically search for it.

Smart glasses with technologies such as GoInStore’s application allow in-store shop workers to connect to online customers, giving them the ability to demonstrate and describe all a product’s features, without requiring the customer to go to the store. This improves their satisfaction level, as it is a more convenient way to shop while still receiving the personal assistance they require.

Wearable cameras, such as those from Pinnacle Response, provide retail workers who experience robberies or threats of violence with a way in which to record interactions. These devices help to calm down potentially violent situations, as it alerts the potential criminal to the fact that their actions are being recorded, and if that does not work, then the recordings are used as evidence.

Hearables, such as Onyx by Orion Labs, allow workers to quickly communicate with colleagues, no matter where they are located, such as the stock-room, on the road, or in a different store, to ensure that customer requests are dealt with quickly.

Other devices, such as lone worker protection wearables from companies such as Skyguard, aren’t designed to improve customer satisfaction, but rather improve employee satisfaction, yet another important factor for retail companies.

Outlook for Retail Wearables Applications

These worker protection devices give retail workers who are alone, such as early in the morning, late at night, or when accepting deliveries, a way to record potentially dangerous interactions and/or call for help if required. Employees who feel safer on the job will stay on the job.

"Wearable devices are becoming a vital part of many enterprise verticals, and the retail sector is no different," concludes Lawrence. "Improving customer satisfaction with such devices will help to ensure that customers remain loyal and continue to shop in an in-store environment."